This is a neat little quickie lab I found and have tried that works extremely well. If you need a ╥filler╙ lab, this is the perfect lab.
The ╥Golden╙ Penny
1. Clean a pre-1982 penny until shiny with steel wool and then wash with acetone. (Note: use only pre-1982 pennies because of the copper content; after 1982, the copper content went down and this experiment will not work.)
2. Add the penny to a solution of concentrated sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and zinc metal (Zn). (Note: do not use zinc powder, as it may catch fire after contact with water.)
3. Using a bunsen burner heat the penny-sodium hydroxide-zinc solution until the penny turns silver or dark gray. This should take less than five minutes.
4. Remove the penny from the solution, wash with water, dry. Quickly run the penny back and forth through the bunsen burner; do not let it sit in the flame. The penny will quickly turn a golden color. If allowed to sit in the flame, the penny will turn black or dark brown.
5. Fool all your friends with your ╥golden╙ money.
